The Roots of Progress

American Genesis

A Century of Invention and Technological Enthusiasm, 1870–1970

Thomas P. Hughes

A history of the creation of large technological systems of production and distribution, and the social response to those systems. It’s not only about the century of technological enthusiasm, but also about how that enthusiasm went wrong (in my opinion), and how it came to an end. See my review: part 1 and 2.

Relevant posts

American invention from the “heroic age” to the system-building era

From technocracy to the counterculture

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Amazon (affiliate link), WorldCat